Grain-door for cars.



' PATENTE) JUNE 9l 1908.

v No'. 890,002.

W. S. WILLIAMS. GRAIN DOOR POR CARS. vAPPLIOAMON FILEDl Nov. '27. 1907.

wi h1 mozo nu Nomar: PETER: ca.. WASHINGTON. D. c4

unire STAES ATENT OFFIOE.

WALTER SCOTT WILLIAMS, OF CLINTON, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO WILLIAM IAIASTINGS AND ONE-THIRD TO CHARLES W. PIFER, OF CLIN'ION, ILLINOIS.

GRAIN-DOOR FOR CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 9, 1908.

Application filed November 27, 1907. Serial No. 404,011.

T 0 all whom it may concern: j

Be it known that I, IVALTER SCOTT WIL- LIAMS, citizen of the United States, residing at Clinton,in the county of Dei/Vitt and lState ol Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain-Doors for Cars, of which the following is a speci'lication.

My invention relates to the improvement olE grain car doors, and the objects of my invention are to provide a door of this class of improved construction and arrangement of parts which can be easily and readily opened when it is subjected to the pressure of grain on the inside of the car; to so construct said improved door as to admit of its being per manently connected with the ordinary box car door frame and to permit of its being folded on the inner side of the car intocompact form when the car is not in use as a grain car to provide improved means for locking the sections of the door into rigid engagement with each other and to produce other improvements in details of construction and arrangement of parts which will be more fully pointed out hereinafter'. These objects I accomplish in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is an outer side elevation of a portion of a box car, showing the usual outside car door in an open position and showing my improved car door in a closed position, Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of a portion of a car showing my improved door therein in a closed position, Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse section of the adjacent portions of the door sections, said sections being also taken on line of Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view on line y-y olE Fig. 2.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

1 represents a box car and 2 the side frame posts of one of the car doorways. On the inner side of one ol! the door frame posts 2 and parallel therewith, I rigidly support a vertical hinge rod 3 which extends, as shown, throughout the height of the doorway. This hinge rod is loosely embraced throughout the greater portion of its length, by the substan tially tubular projection 4a of a hinge plate 4 which is in the nature of a doubled sheet metal plate, the projecting parallel wings or memers of which engage opposite sides of the inner portion of one section 5 of my improved door. Through the medium of suitable hinges 6 which are preferably on the inner side of the door, the section 5 is hinged to a second or outer section 7, the sections thus j ointedly connected being adapted, as shown in the drawing, to close the doorway of the car from the inner side thereof.

In the construction of the door sections 5 and 7, I provide the same on the inner side ad jacent to their hinged edges ,with vertical metallic binding strips 6 and 9 (see Fig. 4) the stri 9 projecting beyond the door section 5 su 'ciently to overlap the edge portion ofthe door section 7, thereby closing or covering the interstice or narrow space which may exist between the door sections. I also provide the outer portion of the door section 7 `with a vertical binding strip 10, one edge of which is adapted to abut against the adjacent door post when the sectional door is in a closed position. In order to strengthen the door sections, I may provide each of said sections on its opposite faces with diagonal brace strips 11.

12 represents a locking bar which is pivoted near the center of its length to the inner face of the door section 5 as indicated at 12, this bar when in its vertical position being, as shown, over or upon the plate 9 of the door section 5 and having its ends when in such vertical position, in engagement with an upper door frame recess 13 and its lower end in similar engagement with a recess 14 formed in the sill of the car door. rIhese recesses are indicated in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing and are so shaped as to present square shoulders at those ends against which the ends ol' the bar 12 will abut when said bar is in the vertical or locked position. About the lower end of the hinge rod 3, I provide a fixed hinge plate bearing 15, the upper bearing face of which is inclined, as shown, to correspond with a similar incline on the lower end of the tubular hinge projection 4a, these inclined bearings serving to slightly lift the sectional door -from the 'floor level when said door is swung into the car and against the wall thereof to the position indicated in dotted.

lines in Fig. 2 ol the drawing, thereby preventing the scraping or sagging oi the door sections against the car floor.

The sectional door described, is designed to be of the ordinary grain door height and thereby cover the greater portion of the car doorway. In order to further close the doorway, however, I provide an upper or additional door 16 which is preferably 'formed in one section, as shown. This upper door is, as prescribed for the door section 5, provided with a hinge plate which is indicated at 17 and which is mounted to swing on the rod 3 above the hinge plate 4. The door section 16 is provided with inner and outer side end binding plates 1S and 19 and on its inner face at its lower edge, I provide a horizontal strip 16a, the lower portion of which is adapted, as shown, to overlap the upper edge portions of the door sections 5 and 7 and thus ei'ectually close any space or interstice which may exist between the door 16 and the lower door sections.

From the construction shown and described, it will be understood that the grain it is desired to close the car doorway to per-,

mit the loading of the car with grain, the door sections 5 and 7 will be swung from their position against the inner wall oi the car, to the closed position shown in lull lines in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing. During this swinging operation, however, the locking bar 12 is turned to the inclined position` indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawing. The lower doorway or the greater portion thereof having been thus closed by the door sections, the bar 12 is swung to the vertical position shown in full lines in the drawing and its ends caused to engage the recesses 13 and 14E of the car frame, in which position said bar will operate to prevent the breaking or hinge movement of the two door sections 5 and 7, holding said sections in proper rigid connection and alinement.

When it is desired to open the grain door to release the grain, it will be understood that the bar 12 is again swung t'o the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig.' 1, permitting the two door sections 5 and 7 to swing outward to the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3 by pressure of the grain against the inner surface of said door sections, thus permitting a preliminary dis charge oi' grain 'from the car doorway. This being accomplished, the sectional door may be swung outward at right angles with the length oi' the car to the position also indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3.

It is obvious that the door sections described, may be provided with hooks or other suitable engaging devices whereby the same may be latched in connection with the inner side of the car frame when not in USB.

From the construction and operation described, it will be seen that a comparatively simple and inexpensive permanent grain door is provided, which may be connected with the ordinary grain carrying cars and which may be carried as a ermanent part of said cars without inte 'ering with the loading oi the cars with other material than grain.

What I claim, is:

1. In a car grain door, the combination with a car body and its door frame, of a door section having a swinging connection with one side 0i said car door frame, a second or outer door section having a hinge connection with said first mentioned door section, a door section above said hinged sections, said upper door section also having a swinging suport from one side of said car doorway, and a ocking bar pivoted to one of said hinged door sections and adapted to prevent the outward movement of said door sections when said bar is in an uprightv position.

2. In a device oi the character described, the combination with a car having a doorway of a vertically extending hinge rod l0- cated at one side oi said door frame and inside oi said door frame but slightly in advance of the edge of the door traine, a door hinged to said hinge rod, a second door hingedly connected to the outer edge of the iirst named door, the free edge of the last named door being adapted to lie upon the inner side of the door frame when the door is in its closed position, a third door of such length as to entirely span the door-way said third door being hingedly supported upon the hinge rod and a pivoted locking bar mounted upon the outer face of one of the lower doors the lree end of which is adapted to enter locking recesses formed in the door frame.

3. Inha device of the character described, the combination with a car having a door way of a vertically extending hinge rod l0- cated at one side of said door frame and inside of said door frame but slightly in advance of the edge of the door frame, a door hinged to said hinge rod, a second door hingedly connected to the outer edge of the iirst named door, the free edge of the last named door being adapted to lie upon the inner side of the door frame when the door is in its closed position, a third door of such length as to entirely span the door way, said third door being hingedly supported upon the hinge rod, a pivoted locking bar mounted upon the outer face of one of the lower doors theree end of which is adapted to enter looking re- In testimony whereof I alx my signature oesses formed in the door frame, the hinge lin presence of two witnesses. connection of the lower doors with thehinge f rod having an inclined lower surface, and an WALTER SCO FT WILLAMS' 5 inclined bearing late with which said sur v Witnesses:

face ooaots to slightly elevate the doors as JOHN O. ELY,

they are swung into the car. CHARLES W. PIFER. 

